Writing with Intent

February 28, 2005
Atwood is, of course, one of the most famous and prolific Canadian novelists of our time (The Blind Assassin
, etc.), and this eclectic collection ably testifies to the scope of her interests and passions. These are occasional pieces, and as such, they form a somewhat odd collection, as when a review of Elmore Leonard's novel Tishomingo Blues
is immediately followed by an obituary for a fellow Canadian writer and friend. Atwood has thought long and deeply about the role women have played in the past and continue to play today. But while in the earlier essays she writes of a living revolutionary force that she believed would change the world, the more recent work views the feminist movement as a relic of an earlier time, even if its goals are still forefront in her mind. As responses to specific moments in literary, personal or social history, many of these works don't necessarily deserve to be preserved in perpetuity, but they all skillfully characterize their writer as a woman ravenously curious about the world, witty enough to know her own place in it, fiercely dedicated to language and the art and craft of writing and, even when training a skeptical eye on the world around her, enthusiastic as a child about the very act of living. Agent, Phoebe Larmore.

March 15, 2005
One of Canada's most celebrated writers, Atwood has written nearly 40 works of fiction, poetry, and criticism. In this chronologically arranged collection of 58 short, nonfiction pieces, she comments on world events, fellow writers, and her own development. She reviews books by John Updike, Italo Calvino, Antonia Fraser, and Dashiell Hammett, as well as the lesser-known Robert Bringhurst, Hilary Mantel, and H. Rider Haggard. Her policy of not reviewing books she doesn't like ensures a consistently positive tone; she saves her criticism for the excesses of Canada's southern neighbor, as in her "Letter to America," published in the "Nation", which severely takes the United States to task for economic excess, reduced constitutional rights, and Iraq. Atwood includes enough personal pieces to reveal herself as a committed world citizen, widely read and engaged. One poignant piece describes how a visit to Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion influenced "The Handmaid's Tale", especially the idea of women in a theocratic state wearing uniforms with head coverings. This collection will not disappoint Atwood fans as her analyses both challenge and entertain. Recommended for all libraries. -Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2005
Wit and wisdom are the essay's body and soul, and Atwood--shrewd, mischievous, and compelling--displays both in her masterful nonfiction. This substantial yet effervescent retrospective collection showcases Atwood as a zestful and discerning literary critic as she brilliantly assesses the work of such writers as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, and Elmore Leonard. She is also an insightful and valiant social critic, unflinchingly dissecting the impact of violent pornography, remembering her favorite wild places and tracking the ravages of acid rain, reconsidering a 1978 visit to Afghanistan, and taking issue with the post-9/11 mind-set. Atwood does, indeed, write with intent, that is, with intensity, resolve, and spirit, but for all her seriousness, she has a wickedly good time ferreting out contradictions and toppling shibboleths. And best of all are her pithy, hilarious, and touching personal essays about her family and life as a writer. Atwood has a uniquely enlivening voice and point of view, and this exhilarating volume will bolster her standing as a world-class writer of keen intellect and moxie.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)